Reserve shuttle control for shuttle-changing looms



c. DARWIN 2,171,635

RESERVE SHUTTLE CONTROL FOR SHUTTLE CHANGING LOOMS Sept. 5, 1939.

a Invenior, T

Filed Nov. 22, 1938 fil EB EL) 0rd Darwm A? rn ey Patented Sept. 5, 1939UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RESERVE SHUTTLE CONTROL FOR SHUT-TLE-CHANGING LOOMS Application November 22, 1938, Serial No. 241,800

11 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in shuttle changing looms moreparticularly of the multicolor type and it is the general object of theinvention to control a reserve shuttle moving from the shuttle magazineto the lay which shall preyent improper presentation of the shuttle tothe In a well-known type of multicolor shuttle changing loom the reserveshuttle magazine comprises two stacks of shuttles located forcooperation with the lay when the latter is in its rearmost position. Acommon transfer compartment located below the front stack and in frontof the bottom shuttle of the rear stack receives a shuttle from thefront stack by gravity feed. A support finger is located under thebottom shuttle of the front stack and is rocked to shuttle releasingposition when a transfer is to be made from the front stack, therebyreleasing the bottom shuttle so that it may fall into the commoncompartment.

The shuttle in the common compartment is supported by rearwardlyextending fingers mounted on the lay until the latter reaches: socalledback center, at which time the shuttle falls into a movable shuttle boxon the lay. The shuttle box is normally down out of transfer position tocooperate with the active shuttle, but on changing operation of the loomthe box is raised. A subsequent down motion of the boxes places thefresh shuttle in active position.

The bottom shuttle occasionally tends to turn on its longitudinal axiswhen passing into the common compartment. When this occurs the picker islikely to pass under the shuttle, leaving the latter on the lay so thaton the ensuing rear motion of the lay the improperly placed shuttle willhold the shuttle box cover high enough to break the front part of themagazine. The front structure of the magazine includes a forwardlyyieldable reserve shuttle guide forming the front part of the aforesaidcommon compartment. This guide is ordinarily so located as to exertlittle if any rearward force on a shuttle in the transfer compartment.It is an important object of my present invention to provide mechanismso located as to exert a yielding rearward force on the front wall of areserve shuttle moving into the transfer compartment. This mechanism isso placed that it engages the shuttle after the latter has had a chanceto start its downward motion due to release by the shuttle trip orsupport at the bottom of the front stack of reserve shuttles. Theshuttle by its downward momentum is therefore able to slide along arounded surface of the yielding support, thereby resisting the tendencyof the shuttle to turn as it enters the compartment. The yieldingsupport is so placed that it exerts a rearward force on the shuttlethroughout a greater part of the time lapsing between arrival of theshuttle on the fingers and back center position of the lay, or in otherwords throughout substantially the full interval of time in which thereserve shuttle will normally be in the transfer compartment.

Since the rearward force is sufficient to hold the shuttle in properposition it will also be sufficiently strong to interfere with downwardmotion of the shuttle into the shuttle box. This is due to the fact thatat this time the shuttle is substantially stationary and therefore hasno momentum to overcome the force of the yielding support. The reserveshuttle magazine is made with several moving parts certain of which lendthemselves readily to the release of the support. As shown herein, Ichoose to employ the box top or cover of the temporarily raised shuttlebox for the purpose of momentarily moving said yielding supportpositively in a direction. away from the shuttle to relieve the latterof any resistance which would interfere with its gravitational descentinto the shuttle box. This motion of the shuttle support is against ayielding force normally tending to hold the support in the path of ashuttle, and immediately upon completion of a shuttle changing operationthe support returns to its normal shuttle guiding position.

The support already mentioned yields forwardly not only to permit theshuttle to move completely into the compartment but also to release it.Occasionally, however, a shuttle will not be completely transferred dueto some defect of the shuttle box, and when this happens the shuttlewill hold the box cover in an abnormal high position. Under theseconditions the front part of the magazine as heretofore constructed hasbeen subjected to breakage due to engagement with the cover, and it is afurther object of my present invention to make the support mentionedhereinbefore not only yieldable forwardly but also constructed so thatit will bend rearwardly should it be engaged by an improperly placedshuttle box cover on the rearward stroke of the lay. A convenient way ofaccomplishing this result is to make the support of a strip of springsheet metal, although I do not Wish to be limited to that particularform of support.

In the description to follow I have illustrated a center support soplaced that it cannot have accidental engagement with the weft carriedby the shuttle but I do not wish to be limited in the practice of myinvention to the use of a single support although it is desirable thatsuch supports as are used be so placed that they cannot accidentallyengage and damage the weft carried by the shuttle.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein a convenient embodiment ofmy'invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a shuttle changing magazine having myinvention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 showing a reserveshuttle in a common transfer compartment awaiting completion of transferinto the shuttle box,

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but with the shuttle completelytransferred into the shuttle box,

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showing rearward yielding of thesupport by engagement with an improperly placed shuttle.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown a magazine M having front andrear stacks of shuttles l0 and II, respectively, which feed downward bygravity. The rear stack 'of'shuttles is supported by a platform l2 andtransfer from this stack is effected with the'aid of a shuttle plunger|3 movable forwardly, or to the right as viewed in Fig. 2, when atransfer is to be made from a rear stack of shuttles. A common transfercompartment designated at C is in front of the bottom shuttle of therear stack and below the bottom shuttle of the front stack and a shuttlewhich is moved forwardly by the plunger I3 will slide off the platformI2 and rest on fingers 4 on the lay L, one of said fingers being shownin the drawing.

The front stack of shuttles is guided by a front magazine plate and acenter partition 2| defining a downwardly extending guideway leading tothe common compartment 0. A rock shaft is journaled on the front plate20 and is surrounded by a torsion spring 26 one end of which is fastenedto a bearing 21 on the magazine plate 20 and the other end of which isreceived by a collar 28 angularly adjustable on the shaft 25 by a setscrew 29. I-Ieretofore the shaft 25 has had secured thereto a rigiddownwardly extending shuttle support such as shown for instance at H0 inprior Turner Patent No. 2,054,171. In the present instance I omit thisrigid guide but retain the rock shaft for the purposes of my presentinvention.

The lowest shuttle in the front stack, desigfiat-ed in dotted lines inFig. 2, is normally supported by a finger 30 on a stub shaft 3|journaled on the front plate of the magazine and controlled by a link 32extending upwardly to be raisedfon a shuttle changing operation of theloom. The finger 30 is secured to the shaft 3| as indicated in Fig. 1while a friction pad 33 is journaled for free motion on the shaft 3|. Atorsion spring 34 surrounding the shaft 3| acts on the pad 33 and,

has its tension varied by a collar 35 held in angularly adjustableposition on the shaft 3| by set screw 33. A finger 31 depending from thepad tion to state that when a shuttle changing operation is to occur therod 32 is raised to move the support finger 30 forwardly, or to theright as viewed in Fig. 2, while at the same time pad 33 movesrearwardly against the next shuttle above the bottom shuttle. By thisoperation the shuttle designated in dotted lines in Fig. 2 descends butall shuttles thereover are held by the pad 33. When released by thefinger 30 the lowest shuttle in the forward box passes into the commoncompartment C.

. The shuttle changing mechanism includes a 1 pair of verticallyshiftable shuttle boxes B and B which are normally down so that the boxB is in active position. When a transfer or shuttle changing operationis to occur, however, a box lifter rod 40 is raised to place box B inactive position and at the same time raise the upper box B to a positionwhere it can receive a shuttle from the compartment C.

The upper box B includes in its construction a cover 4| movable about anaxis 42 carried by the 2 box B. The cover has a roll 43 which cooperateswith a lifting cam 44 secured to and extending forwardly from themagazine plate 20. This cam has an actuating face 45 for cooperationwith the roll. The latter normally passes under the cam 2 when the boxesare down, but when the boxes are up the roll cooperates with the face.45 as the lay nears its rearmost position to rock the cover in aclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 2 around its pivot 42 and againstthe action of a 3 spring 46 shown in Fig. 1.

Except as indicated the matter thus far described may beas set forth inthe aforesaid patent to Turner and also in the Patents Nos. 2,082,919and 2,103,800. 7 3

In carrying my present invention into effect I eliminate the rigidmetallic guide for the front of the transfer compartment C as heretoforeused and in its place substitute yielding fingers or the like which canbe bent rearwardly when occasion at demands and be moved forwardlypositively at the time of a shuttle changing operation. As

shown in the drawing I secure to the shaft 25 a downwardly'extendingfinger 5|] having therein an adjustable set screw 5| to engage the plate25. 4

The spring 26 holds the screw against the plate but permits the arm 5|]to bemoved forwardly, or to the right as viewed in Fig. 2. Secured tothe bottom of the finger 20 is a spring 52 formed preferably ofresilient sheet steel and shaped sub- 5 compartment C and resting on thefingers [4 as 5 shown in Fig. 2.

The setting of the screw 5| issuch that the spring finger will exert arearward force on the front wall of the shuttle S in the compartment C.

The curve 53 is such that a shuttle descending of from the dottedposition shown in Fig. 2 will have sufficient momentum to slide alongsaid surface and assume the full line position shown in Fig. 2, pushingthe finger forwardly either by bending it or causing yielding of spring26. rived from the rear cell will be pushed forwardly by the plunger I3against the action of the spring finger.

Secured also to shaft 25 is an operating arm which extends downwardly toa position in front of the rear ledge 6| of the box cover 4|. The arm 60is so related to the cover ledge that as the cover rises due to rollingof the roll 43 along the 'cam face 45 the ledge will engage the arm 60and rock the shaft 25 slightly in a counter-clockwise di- A shuttle de-65 rection as viewed in Fig. 2, thereby moving the finger 50'to theright and drawing the spring finger 52 forwardly away from the shuttle.This action is timed to occur either slightly before or at the time thatthe shuttle S is to drop into the upper raised box B.

In operation, when a shuttle changing operation is to take place andassuming that the incoming shuttle is to be derived from the front cellI9, the support finger 30 will be rocked as already described, Thisreleases the bottom shuttle of the front stack and it descends,acquiring enough momentum before striking surface 53 to push the spring52 forwardly and fall on fingers M as shown in Fig. 2. The spring 52acts to steady the shuttle and prevent turning thereof, and exerts arearward force on the shuttle tending to hold it against the bottomshuttle of the rear stack, also as shown in Fig. 2.

As the lay moves rearwardly, or to the left as viewed in Fig. 2, thefront edge of the lay ends H, marking the forward ends of the fingers M,will slide under the shuttle so that the forward part of the latter willextend forwardly from and therefore be unsupported by the fingers. Underthese conditions a shuttle would tend to turn on its longitudinal axis,but the spring finger 52 acts to hold the shuttle rearwardly, therebyresisting this tendency of the shuttle to turn. When the lay has reachedits rearmost position so that the surface 10 is in alignment with therear wall of the shuttle S, or the left wall as viewed in Fig. 2, thespring finger will be moved forwardly away from the shuttle bycooperation of the arm 60 and the ledge 6|, as shown in Fig. 3. Theshuttle will therefore be free to drop into the box B by positiverelease of finger 52.

On the following forward beat of the lay the roll 43 will move down thesurface 45 to lower the cover, thereby disengaging the ledge 6| from thearm 60 and permitting the spring 26 to return the spring finger 52 toits normal shuttle steadying or guiding position. The vertical distancebetween the bottom of the spring finger 52 and the fioor of box B willordinarily be a little greater than the height of the shuttle so thatthe latter may move forwardly with the lay without engaging the finger52. Later the shuttle boxes descend to place the fresh shuttle in activeposition and the changing operation is complete.

It may occasionally happen that the transfer of the reserve shuttle isimperfect due either to an accidental turning over of the shuttle sothat it assumes the position in the top shuttle box as set forth in Fig.4, or due to the fact that the connections for the box lifter rod 40slip out of position and allow the box B to remain in abnormally highposition. In either of these events there is likely to be some partcarried by the lay which will be high enough to strike the finger 52 onthe next succeeding rear motion of the lay. When the shuttle is on itsside the picker P will slide under it to raise the same, thereby liftingthe cover 4| to a sufficiently high position to engage the finger 52 andbend the same rearwardly into the common compartment on the next rearmotion of the lay. This bending of the finger 52, due to its inherentresilience, avoids breakage such as had occurred in the past undersimilar conditions when the part corresponding to the finger 52 has beenmade rigid and held against movement rearwardly behind its normalposition. Should the connections to the box lifter rod Ml slip, the boxB will remain in high position, in which case the shuttle in the box Bwill hold the cover in a raised position somewhat similar to that shownin Fig. 4. In this latter instance also the cover will engage and bendthe finger 52 without damage to any of the parts concerned.

While I have described one spring finger to be located adjacent the leftend of the magazine as viewed in Fig. 1 at a point where it will engagea shuttle between the ends of the latter, I nevertheless do not wish tobe limited to this construction.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided a shuttlechanging magazine with yielding shuttle guide means constructed so thata shuttle in motion may slide along the surface 53 to assume a temporarystationary position on the fingers M, in which position the springfinger will exert a rearward force on the shuttle tending to maintain itin proper position while the fingers I slide rearwardly. It will also beseen that the finger 52 is capable of flexing rearwardly if engaged byan abnormally high box cover on a rearward beat of the lay subsequent toa shuttle changing operation. It will further be noted that cooperationbetween the box cover and arm 60 acts positively to move the springfinger forwardly a sufiicient amount to release the shuttle when the layis on back center, thereby permitting the shuttle to drop in box Bunhindered by frictional contact with the finger.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes andmodifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wishto be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a shuttle changing loom having a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein and having a multicolor magazine having a plurality ofstacks of reserve shuttles located adjacent the rear position of thelay, means in the magazine defining a common compartment to be occupiedby a reserve shuttle drawn from any of the stacks, a shuttle box on thelay to receive a shuttle from the common compartment and capable ofupward motion relatively to the lay to shuttle receiving position, ayieldable finger to engage and position a shuttle in the commoncompartment to hold the same yieldingly in position for passage into theshuttle box. and means operated by the shuttle box when in reserveshuttle receiving position to move the yieldable finger away from theshuttle in the compartment.

2. In a shuttle changing loom having a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein and having a multicolor magazine having a plurality ofstacks of reserve shuttles located adjacent the rear position of thelay, means defining a common compartment for a reserve shuttle derivedfrom any stack, shuttle supporting fingers on the lay extending underthe compartment to support a shuttle in the compartment when the lay isforward of its rearmost position, a shuttle box on the lay normally inlow position but movable to high position to receive the shuttle in thecompartment when the lay is in rearmost position, a yieldable finger toengage the shuttle and hold the same with the longitudinal ax s thereofin substantial alignment with the longitudinal axis of the shuttle box,a cover for the shuttle box, means to lift the cover as the lay movesrearwardly when the shuttle box is in high position, and connectionsbetween the cover and the yieldable finger to move the latter forwardlyrelatively to a shuttle in the compartment to release the latter at thetime the shuttlemoves from the compartment into the shuttle box.

3. In a shuttle changing loom having a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein and having a multicolor magazine with a plurality ofstacks of reserve shuttles located adjacent the rear position of thelay, means to limit rearward motion of a reserve shuttle in transferposition relatively to the magazine, shuttle supporting fingersextending rearwardly from the lay to support the shuttle when said layis in front of its rearmost position, said fingers to move from underthe reserve shuttle in transfer position as the lay reaches-rearmostposition, a yieldable finger to engage a shuttle in transfer positionand assist in maintaining the same with the longitudinal axis thereofsubstantially aligned with the lay, a shuttle box on the lay in front ofsaid fingers normally in low'position but movable to high position toreceive a shuttle from the magazine, a cover for said shuttle box, meansto lift the cover when the box is inhigh position and the layis movingrearwardly, and connections between the cover and the yieldable fingerto move the latter forwardly with respect to a shuttle to be transferredwhen the coveris raised.

4. In a-shuttle changing loom having a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein and having a multicolor magazine with a plurality ofstacks of reserve shuttles located adjacent the rear position of thelay, a shuttle box on the lay normally in low position and movable tohigh position ,to assist in a shuttle changing operation of the loom,rearwardly extending shuttlesupporting fingers on the lay, meansdefining a compartment above said fingers to receive a reserve shuttleto be transferred from any of the stacks, a finger yieldable forwardlyfrom normal posi tion and normally positioned to engage a shuttle insaid compartment to limit forward motion of a shuttle in saidcompartment, a cover for the shuttle box, means effective during therearward motion of the lay to raise said cover when the box is in highposition, and-means operated by the cover and connected to the yieldablefinger to move the latter forwardly relatively to said' commoncompartment when the cover is raised.

5. In a shuttle changing loom having a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein and having a multicolor magazine With a plurality ofstacks of reserve shuttles located adjacent the rear position of thelay, means in the magazine defininga common compartment to be occupiedby a reserve shuttle drawn from any of the stacks, a shuttle box on thelay to receive a shuttle from the common compartment and capable ofupward motion relatively to the lay to shuttle receiving position, afiexiblefing-er to engage and position a shuttle in the commoncompartment to hold the same yieldingly in position for passage into theshuttle box, and means operated by the shuttle box when in reserveshuttle receiving position to' move the flexible finger away from theshuttle in the compartment, said flexible finger being yieldablerearwardly in the event of an engagement with an improperly transferredshuttle on a subsequent rearward motion of the lay.

6. In a shuttle changing loom having a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein and having a multicolor magazine with a plurality ofstacks of reserve shuttles located adjacent the rear position of thelay, means defining a common compartment to hold temporarily a shuttledrawn from" any stack, a shuttle supporting finger above saidcompartment to support reserve shuttles over said compartment, ayieldable finger extending to a position below the first named fingerand in front of the compartment to exert a rearward force on a reserveshuttle in the compartment, a shuttle box on the lay normally in lowposition and movable to high position on shuttle changing operations ofthe loom to receive a shuttle from the compartment, a cover for theshuttle box normally in down position, means operative on a rearwardmotion of the lay to raise said cover when the shuttle box is in highposition, and connections between the cover and the yieldable finger tomove the latter forwardly with respect to the compartment and relievethe pressure exerted by the yieldable finger on the reserve shuttle asthe shuttle box in high position moves toward the reserve shuttle in thecompartment.

7. In ashuttle changing loom having a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein, a multicolor reserve shuttle magazine with a phi--rality of stacks of reserve shuttles located adjacent the rear positionof the lay, means defining a common compartment in the magazine toreceive a reserveshuttle drawn from any stack, a flexible member toengage the front wall of a reserve shuttle in the compartment, means tolimit the normal rearward position of the flexible means, and mechanismto move a shuttle from the compartment to the lay when the latter is inits rearmost position, said fiexible member yieldable rearwardly behindthe normal position thereof if engaged by'any part carried by the lay onthe next backward stroke of the lay following the beat on which transferof a shuttle from the compartment to the lay occurs.

8. In a shuttle changing loom having a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein, a I multicolor reserve shuttle magazine with aplurality of stacks of reserve shuttles located adjacent the rearposition of the lay, means defining a common compartment'in the magazineto receive a reserve shuttle drawn from any stack, a flexible member toengage the front wall of a reserve shuttle in the'compartment, means tolimit the normal rearward position of the flexible means, and mechanismto move a shuttle from the compartment to the lay when the latter is inits rearmost position, said flexible member yieldable rearwardly intothe compartment behind the normal position thereof if engaged by anypart carried by the lay on the next backward stroke of the lay followingthe beat on which transfer of a shuttle from the compartment to the layoccurs.

,9. Ina shuttle changing loom having a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein, a multicolor magazine with a plurality of stacks ofreserve shuttles located adjacent the rear position' of the lay, ashuttle box on the lay normally in low position and movable to highposition to assist in a shuttle changing operation of the loom, meansdefining a common compartment in the magazine to receive reserveshuttles from any of the stacks, a flexible finger extending to aposition in front of the compartment to engage a reserve shuttle in saidcompartment, means to limit the normal rearward position of 7 theflexible finger, and a cover for the shuttle box to be raised to receivea reserve shuttle from the compartment, said flexible finger yieldablerearwardly from the normal position thereof when engaged bythe coverwhen the latter is 7 held in an abnormally high position by animproperly transferred shuttle on the succeeding backward motion of thelay.

10. In a multicolor shuttle changing loom, a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein, a magazine having a plurality of stacks of reserveshuttles located adjacent the rear position of the lay, means defining acommon compartment in the magazine to receive a reserve shuttle from anystack, a flexible finger extending to a position in front of thecompartment to as sist in holding a reserve shuttle in the compart-Inent, means to limit normal rearward motion of the flexible finger, ashuttle box on the lay to receive a reserve shuttle from thecompartment, and a cover forming part of the shuttle box to be raisedprior to and lowered subsequent to a normal shuttle changing operationof the loom, said flexible finger yieldable rearwardly behind the normalposition thereof on the next succeeding backward motion of the lay ifengaged by the cover when the latter is held in raised position by animproperly transferred shuttle.

11. In a multicolor shuttle changing loom, a lay movable backwardly andforwardly therein, a magazine having a plurality of stacks of reserveshuttles, means on the magazine defining a common compartment to receivea shuttle from any stack, a flexible finger pivotally supported to themagazine at a point above the compartment and extending to a position infront of the compartment to assist in holding a reserve shuttle in saidcompartment, mechanism on the lay below the compartment to receive areserve shuttle from the compartment, and means to limit normal rearwardmovement of the flexible finger, said finger being yieldable rearwardlyinto the compartment behind the normal position thereof when engaged byany part of the mechanism in abnormally high position due to an impropershuttle changing operation of the loom.

CLIFFORD DARWIN.

